Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda

 

Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda : Book Review

“Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop” by Kenji Ueda and translated into English language by Emily Balistrieri is a wonderful collection of interconnected short fictions that showcase the Japanese culture to the core. Going with the tag line “Write a letter, heal your heart,” the stories are endearing and cheerful and connecting to the human heart.

At center of the all the stories is the fictional Shihodo local stationery shop located at Ginza, Tokyo. The locality of Ginza, a district located in Tokyo, famous for upscale shopping and entertainment is the center point of all the stories taking narrated in this book. It is the Shihodo Stationery shop that becomes the key connector to all the stories. All the characters from the different stories that take place in Ginza find solace and help through this stationary shop and its owner, Ken Takarada.

The book comprises of five different stories that are interconnected in some way or other and have a common connection in the form the Shihodo stationery shop. The five stories namely; Fountain Pen, Organizer, Notebooks, Postcards and Memo pads are inquisitively titled around stationery items. These are wonderful stories about life, loss, love and everything a human can experience.

One of the key takeaways from all the stories are the Japanese style of living, dealing with fellow humans, Japanese culture, Japanese food, Japanese way of working and Japanese way of entertainment. For someone reading about this from some other country, is equivalent to travelling to Japan through the words of the book. You actually end up meeting these wonderful people from Ginza as you read through the stories and some stay with you.

The first story “Fountain Pen” deals with a wonderful story about a grandmother, Natsuko-san and a grandson, Nitta-sama and the exchange of letters in between them. In between the letters is the Shihodo stationery shop from where the grandson writes the letter using the defining stationery as provided by the owner, Ken. Reading the events of the story will bring a sense to the readers as to what life is actually all about.

The second story “Organizer” is a professional work- based story in between a new recruit and a mentor, Fumi -mama. The story is warm and cheerful and innocent for most of the part. There is quite a bit of learning in this story for professional working people who are often influenced heavily by a mentor. The best part of the story of the twist is at the end and Shihodo stationery shop plays an important part in the closure of the story.

The third story “Notebooks” is a teenage rom com story in which the main character is a collection of notebooks. The notebooks take the principal character-vice captain of a high-school archery team, back to the high school days as she shares the nostalgic romantic remembrance with an acquaintance at a local café. The story is a bit long considering the key events but the reader will enjoy the detailing of the life of the students and the feeling engulfing around them.

The fourth story “Postcards” is the best of the lot and is an intriguing story of a husband and wife. After the death of his wife, the ageing businessman husband has to give a memorial speech at her funeral and how the husband prepares for the speech through the help of his long -standing relationship with Shihodo stationery shop and how during this time, he chronicles the events of his entire life with his wife, their background, their working relationship and ultimately their end in the relationship. A wonderful story presented in a humorous narrative will give the reader a terrific experience of almost living their lives. The story, if made in a motion picture or a web film would find global recognition due to the uniqueness of the events and emotions attached.

The fifth story “Memo pads” where in a young man who has made a good life for himself starting from scratch showcases his journey and the importance of “Memo pads” in life. The story also links his success and habits to his mentor, Taisho. It is the ultimate story about a mentor and his protégé. The story has a wonderful climax.

These are stories that feel the heart with warmth and happiness and showcases the world to be a very happy place to live life for humans. The Shihodo stationery shop has been showcased in a detailed way in the stories and the owner, Ken, to has some links in many of the stories.  Ken Tarakada is a character who will stay with you after the book. The mannerisms and the warmth the character displays will stay with the reader.

The uniqueness of the book lies in the narrative and stories that capture the various essences of Japanese culture and way of living. Food is also an intricate part of some of the stories.

Another interesting aspect to this book, are the descriptions of various forms of stationery items. The language used to describe these stationery items will take us back to the good old days of our growing up years when we were more attached to stationery items before the advent of digital technology.

The book and stories would fall into the genre of slice of life. Warm and happy and at times emotional and sensitive.

“Letters from the Ginza stationery shop” is a book that will connect and stay with the reader, if not loudly, but surely warmly and in the softest corner of their hearts.